Dear SAS Spring Class of 2012....It's been a month

Dear Semester at Sea Class of Spring 2012 It's been a month and 2 days since we disembarked the sweet MV Explorer. It's also been 138 days since we unknowingly embarked on a voyage of epic proportions that would rock us to our core. I embarked on the ship eager yet afraid. I was not sure what it was going to be like leaving behind once again everything I knew. I was self conscious and lacked some self esteem. I was wounded, confused and lacked direction, I never knew it would take me circumnavigating the globe to find myself. We have all been changed, to an extent that I never thought possible. It was not apparent when we docked in San Diego, yet I think I speak for all of us when I say its noticeable now more than ever. We can't and don't want to return to the people we were before. We refuse to settle for the rules that society has impregnated in the people around us. Even though each one of us has tried to settle into their old lifestyles, we ache for more. We become uneasy when staying in one place for more than a few days. There is a void that fills me that is only filled when I'm around SASers. I feel empty yet full of knowledge. A knowledge that a person my age should not yet possess. We are wise and even better, young. It is up to each and every single one of us to use this extremely rare gift to our advantage. Maybe it will take till the end of our college careers, but I sincerely believe that I'll be reading about each of our accomplishments in the paper someday. Today is one of the 34 days where I have looked up towards the sky and thanked whoever is up there for the beauty that the world possesses and the blessing that it is to be alive. We are all lucky and rich: in culture and friendships, but most of all in heart. Every single one of us has shown in the past 5 months their capacity and willingness to help strangers in distress. As I sit here writing this on my phone, I ache to be writing it in paper; as I did countless times on the ship when technology wasn't at the tip of my hands. It is unfortunate that the future has been shaped in this way, where dissociation from others is encouraged and where time is money. I miss being on Brazil or Ghana time. I miss pulling all nighters and always having someone by my side. I miss having seasickness be a valid excuse to miss class; but most of all, I miss every single one of you. The things I told some of you I had never shared in my entire life, yet I felt ëêè perfectly comfortable confiding in you. Since the ship finished, I have never been more driven, sure of myself and proud of who I am and I have each one of you to thank for that. Even though we passed through the worst of times, I only seem to remember them as perfect moments. Everything from the trip seems to have had its place in our puzzle to enlightenment and growth. After finally processing at least 5% of what I did during this trip, I can confidently say I don't regret anything that's ever happened to me or that I've done in the past, because its lead me here. If there's one valuable lesson that I learned during the voyage, it's that our future is in our hands, there is no such thing as destiny. If we don't like something in our lives, we can change it; if we're sad, we can switch our day around in an instant, if we are lost, we can find a way out. As we grow up, we have more control over the decisions being made in the world, our voices grow stronger (and even more after this voyage (don't tell me that everyone does not admire you when you mention your trip)). As we gain credibility, we become more powerful; and as we become more powerful, our actions and choices have a higher impact. It is due to this that we must grab ahold of this moment, with responsibility and grace to revive some of the values in our hemisphere that were lost a long time ago. I'm not referring by any means to grabbing a sword and going on an altruistic crusade, but to starting with your inner circle, the people you love the most. Make your friend shut off his cellphone when you sit down to eat, tell your mother to calm down when she's freaking out in traffic, chew slower, enjoy your food and above all treat EVERYONE as equals, because nothing causes a faster and stronger change than a positive leader. Be the leader you were born to be because this is OUR TIME and our voice will not be silenced. Don't question it, we are the SAS generation of world leaders. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and NEVER FORGET all the friendships you formed, the events you witnessed and how it felt to have your mind clear because without our memories we are nothing. NOW LET'S CONQUER THE WORLD AND MAKE IT A BETTER PLACE! "Learn to love the lucky charms cereal, not just the marshmallows." One Love Adolfo Kahan Semester at Sea Spring '12